“I did the Edinburgh Fringe despite having cancer and had a great year”

I am really sorry for Your cancer diagnosis. You must have had a horrible year, I say to political comedian and Spitting Image impersonator Matt Forde during a chat ahead of his show The End of an Era at the Edinburgh Fringe 2024.

You know, I see this as a brilliant year, he said.

Over the next half hour, it becomes clear that this optimism is inherent in Matt, an unusual trait for a political comedian, a breed of comedian known for drowning in his own cynicism.

The 41-year-old was performing at the Fringe last year when he suffered terrible back pain, which he assumed was a slipped disc. He never imagined it would turn out to be cancer.

When I was told it was cancer, I thought, I don't feel like I have cancer. I'm not emaciated, and apart from the pain, I'm not sick.

You have to get used to it quickly and I think when you have these kinds of conversations you don't really know how much time you have left.

The Spitting Image star, who voices Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, considers himself lucky, even though he lost the ability to walk when he had surgery after a spinal tumour was discovered. (A real problem when you're a comedian.)

I hope my life will not be shortened by this and that my quality of life will not have diminished significantly, he said.

I have a stoma and have to self-catheterize to urinate, and I still need canes to get around, but my walking is improving and I don't think I'll need them forever.

In reality, these things are very small, I think, compared to the sacrifices that other people make.

Missing the asteroid, as Matt says, really puts things into perspective.

“It was actually one of the best experiences of my life,” he said. “It really enriched my experience and perspective on life.”

I feel like I got something more out of life by going through this, rather than losing anything.

Having cancer has reaffirmed Matt's political beliefs about the incredible work done within the NHS.

On night shift when I was unable to change my colostomy bag myself, inevitably, as anyone with a stoma will tell you, you often have accidents, and it's not pleasant if you can't help it.

So when you're covered in shit, if there's a nurse who spends time with you and saves you the embarrassment

When I knew that particular nurses were going to help me, I felt better. It helped relieve my pain. If I was more anxious, I had more pain. And I think that's an incredible thing. You know, their personality alone was medicine.

Another experience that taught Matt a lot was trying to interview all 650 candidates running for president in the recent general election. (He didn't succeed, but 150 is no small feat.)

“Their ability to withstand pressure, defeat and rejection is something most of us couldn't handle,” he says of political candidates, the majority of whom he says are well-meaning and interesting people.

I've spoken to many candidates who knew they were going to lose, but that wasn't the point: they believed that people should have the opportunity to vote with their hearts and minds for values ​​they truly believe in, regardless of what might happen.

I find it really impressive that people care so much about their values ​​that they are willing to risk personal defeat so that other people can somehow rally around them.

It sounds a lot like stand-up comedy.

Oh yeah, Matt agrees. In a superficial way, they even take place in similar arenas on stages, often with hostile audiences, so there are definitely parallels.

As a political comedian Matt has worked with a treasure trove of material over the last few years with Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss to name but a few who have provided all those glorious moments of incompetence.

But now, since Sir Keir Starmer was elected on July 4, for the first time in his comedy career, Matt is joking under a Labour government.

The Absolute Radio host had to completely rewrite his set, which, just weeks before the Edinburgh Festival, was a nightmare, but one he is relishing.

“I've only existed as a political comedian under a Conservative government, so to have a new government making fun of me, analysing it and writing jokes about it is a big creative challenge,” he says.

I wanted Labour to win for national reasons, but I like to get down to mocking Sir Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and all the rest, rather than having to constantly go back to the Tory well and find something new to say about them.

Of course, it's a challenge. Because if you're more sympathetic to one side, it moves away.

I've always targeted Labour, just as I did the Conservatives. But it's quite interesting to have a government that's probably going to do more of what I want.

Obviously people make mistakes. There's always incompetence, all the rest that's great for political comedy, and there are new voices to harness.

So there will always be enough material.

Equipment aside, despite being at this year's Edinburgh Fringe, Matt has no back pain to contend with, having had the base of his spine removed in October and still using walking sticks.

I try to do it with one cane instead of two, otherwise I can't hold the microphone, he says, explaining that it's especially difficult during live shows, which require him to hold notes.

When and where to see Matt Forde

MattForde brings hisbrand new show The End of An Era Tour at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 31^stJuly 25-August 20 at 8pm at Pleasance Beyond, and tours nationwide from 2pm^ndFrom October 20, 2024 to October 12, 2024^thMarch 2025.

His two special Edinburgh Political Party concerts will take place at the Gilded Balloon on 13th and 19th August. More information and tickets atmattfordde.com

“I had some hesitations and almost fell several times,” he admits.

But it was also a joyful experience.

“It’s so magical to be back at work,” Matt says with a big smile. “Because there’s a time in your life where you have to be patient and just focus on that, on your physical and emotional recovery.”

But after a while, you don't want to let this job define you. You want to get back to your interests and get back on stage. I've always loved this job, but I love it even more now.

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